


Killer Queens

by Maxil_Gal



Category: Queen (Band)
Genre: Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Brianne May, Crimes & Criminals, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff and Angst, GAY CRIME GAY CRIME GAY CRIME, Genderswap, Hate Crimes, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Johanna Deacon, Lesbians at it again, Mafia AU, Melina Mercury, Organized Crime, Regina Taylor - Freeform, Social Anxiety, Torture, Transphobia, i put triggers before the chapters, king AU, mafia, so many potential wives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-13 22:46:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 17
Words: 15,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16901277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maxil_Gal/pseuds/Maxil_Gal
Summary: Jude Lawler becomes mixed up with a very powerful organized crime organization lead by the enigmatic "King Sisters". Morals and emotions are thrown into disarray as she deals with a life she never thought she'd live.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic can be basically summed up with:  
> EMOTIONS ARE COMPLICATED

“Hey! Careful with that. It’s worth more than ten of you.”

I only nodded and continued polishing the vase carefully. I was pretty adept at drowning out Rob’s nagging. His screaming. His gross face. Working in a dusty antiquities and pawn shop had not been what I had thought my History/Anthropology degree would be utilized for. Then again, it was hard enough to find a job that paid enough for a flat. I guess I was lucky? I put the Ming dynasty vase back into its glass case and turned to working on the display case that acted as a counter in the shop.  
My eyes closed and I hummed quietly to myself.

“Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight…” My head bopped to the tune playing in my head. It was interrupted by the bell on the door ringing, but I simply continued with my funky cleaning. Rob never let me interact with customers.

“Oh! Madame King it’s only...it’s only Wednesday! I wasn’t expecting you until Saturday.” For once in his miserable life, Rob seemed off put, even scared. I only smiled and glanced over. I saw a pair of black stilettos planted firmly on the linoleum of the store. My eyes slowly moved upwards through the warping glass. A beautiful woman with golden hair and an expensive looking fur coat, with two large, mean looking men at her side, was speaking softly to Rob. His face seemed pale. Her guards followed Rob into the back room, leaving the woman and I alone. I tore my eyes away and continued wiping down the glass. When I was happy with my work, I stood and found her looking at me.

She took a long drag from her cigarette, staring at me with killer blue eyes.

“S-sorry,” I mumbled quietly as I began to work on getting the right boxes for that day’s mail service.

“Nothing to it, darling.” I felt my spine tingle when she called me darling. Her voice was thick and soft. “I haven’t seen you before.”

“I...usually work in the back.” I swallowed, trying not to meet her eyes. She looked like she was enjoying this.

“Pity. Rob is the kind of idiot to keep such a pretty girl behind closed doors.” I looked up incredulously. Was she...flirting with me? “Hasn’t anyone told you? You’re absolutely gorgeous baby.”

“N-no.” I laughed nervously and tapped the pen in my hand on the list. I had counted it already but I started counting again. “I don’t...I’m not…” My embarrassment rose red hot up to my face. I must look like an idiot.

“Tell me, darling. What brought you into a nasty place like this?”

“Student debt.” She laughed like I had something clever or witty. She had a beautiful laugh.

“That really is the way of the world though, isn’t it?” She blew a cloud of smoke to the side. “How’d you like a different job?”

“Immensely,” I snorted before I could stop myself. I looked down quickly. “I mean...no it’s fine I’m fine.” I really felt stupid. I wondered if she made everyone feel like this. Her demeanor changed though. “Rob...Mr. Costello is a good employer...really.”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

I knew she was right. I was lying. Rob was creepy, and even worse he got his merchandise from sketchy sources and sold to sketchier clients. I knew he only hired girls. Katherine, the other girl that he hired to work with me, left after he made a very serious pass at her. I had wanted to leave too. But rent’s a bitch.

“Has he done anything to you?”

“No,” I whispered quietly. One day he had gotten drunk. He had said I didn't need to worry. I was too ugly, too much like a boy for him. I wanted to take a long shower just thinking about it to clean it away. “But...he did to another girl.”

“You won’t have to worry about him anymore, dear. Take the rest of the day off.”

“But…”

“Trust me. And here. If you ever need anything, let me know.” She slid me a business card across the counter. I looked at it.  
King Sisters and Associates. Paris. On the back was a phone number.

“Just ask for Reggie.” She gave me a sly wink and called out loudly. “Jim, dear! Could you grab…” She waved lazily at me, asking for my name.

“Jude.”

“Could you grab Jude’s coat?” The taller of the men came out with my things, and I quietly thanked him and left the store quickly.

  
Later on the news they said a man’s body had been found in the canals. I had a nasty feeling it was Rob.


	2. Chapter 2

The police had questioned me. There were no cameras in the shop. They asked me if I saw anyone unusual. I replied that I didn’t talk to customers. That was true. I didn’t tell them about the woman...Madame King. Call me a vigilante, an anarchist, or a chaotic person. I don’t really care. I was glad he was dead.

They left me alone after that. They knew Rob had had shady connections, and the trail was cold. They left the case dead in the water...no pun intended. I was without a job though, so a few days after the police cleared me, I called the number.

“Bonjour. King Soeurs et Associés.”

“Oh uhm...English please?”

“Of course, may I inquire who is calling?”

“Uh. Jude Lawler...I’m looking for Reggie?” The line was silent for a few moments before the secretary returned.

“Madame King says she is willing to meet you tomorrow for tea.”

“Oh! Wonderful uhm..” I took down the information carefully and thanked the man. I hung up and looked at the address on the scrap I had scribbled on. On google, it showed it was very fancy. The secretary hadn’t said anything about what to wear. Luckily, I still had a black lacy dress in my closet and a pair of flats that reminded me of piano keys with their ivory sides and black toes.

I still felt under dressed when I arrived. The host took my coat with a quick look at me that betrayed his distaste. He let me in anyways, though, and led to where Regina King was sitting. She was absolutely stunning. She was wearing a different fur coat over a wine red dress that was slit up the side. If looks could kill, she’d be a serial killer.

“Oh darling! Wonderful to see you in good spirits. You look ravishing!”

“Oh thank you...ma’am...you look wonderful.”

“No ma’ams here, dearest. You can’t be more than a couple years younger than me.” It hadn’t even hit me that this beautiful woman was close to my age. I was still a girl, and she was so far away from the term girl I believed her a goddess. We took our seats and the waiter brought us out a fine teapot and two exquisite tea cups with a small tray of cakes and cookies. “Thank you, Pierre.” He left us with our tea and awkward silence.

“I...Did you…”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about darling.” She added cream and sugar to her tea. I took mine straight.

“Thank you.”

“Again, not the faintest clue.” She took a long drag from her cigarette and watched me. “Shame about your employer. I assume the police gave you some trouble?”

“A little...but I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary…” She gave a knowing little smile and sipped her drink. “I do need work though.”

“Of course. I think I can help with that. I work with antiquities and artifacts enough that I require someone with knowledge on the matter. I also happen to have a position with me in Paris. If that’s something you’d be interested in.”

“Paris...I don’t speak French…”

“Typical American. You’ll learn quick I’m sure, and you’ll have plenty of help with translations.” She took a long sip, staring at me from over the cup. God she was beautiful. My voice went low.

“I won’t if you get your things unethically…” She gave a giggle.

“You’re truly a funny person, Lawler. If that’s what it takes to get you, then it’s a deal.” I shook her manicured hand. She let the touch linger a moment longer than it needed to, but I didn’t complain.

I was set to leave for Paris the next month. Regina had given me enough to pay my rent until then, and also purchased my ticket. In that in between month I didn’t hear from her at all. If I had thought she was dubious before, this only heightened my thinking. I don’t know what it was that made me trust her. Maybe it was because she killed my dick of a boss, maybe it was because she was a woman, maybe it was because I was Irish American and was used to the idea of organized crime as a ‘regular’ thing. OR maybe I was really, really hot for this beautiful woman who could stab me and I’d probably thank her.

I decided I would stay as ignorant as possible on the matter. The day I was set to leave arrived, and a knock on my door told me my ride was there. Regina had insisted she control all the transportation details. I wasn’t complaining, I was getting a job in fucking Paris and she was paying the bill.  
It was quiet in the black, tinted-window vehicle for most of the ride. When we got caught in traffic, I tried to break the ice with my escort. He was sat on the other seat of me.

“So...you’re coming with me?”

“Yes. I’m going take you to your new residence.”

“Ah.” I pressed my lips together awkwardly. I didn’t know what else to say. “So uhm...what are the other King sisters like?” He didn’t answer me, so I just nodded to myself.

“Cool, coolcoolcoolcool.” I tapped my leg idly. God this was going to be awkward. “Do...uh...do they do this for all their employees?”

“Security is of the utmost importance in our organization.”

“Yeah...yeah makes sense.” I sat back in my seat and looked out the window. I was entertained for a few blocks by a dog with his head out the window, but other than that it was a normal day. “SO….”

“We don’t have to talk, you know.”

Thank god. I let out a sigh and tried to relax.


	3. Chapter 3

“Here’s your ticket. Do you need anything before the flight?” The driver had dropped us off at the private plane terminal.

“Uh...No. I’m good. Hey, could you tell me your name?” He looked at me with a stone neutral face.

“Peter.”

“Ok...I’m...I’m Jude.”

“I know.” Yeah of course he knew, what the fuck was I doing? “Come on. Our plane’s this way.” I hadn’t expected a private jet, but there it was. Why was Regina doing all this? I could only assume she was trying to flex her wealth to impress me. And it was working.

We boarded the luxury airline, my breath sucking in suddenly at the interior. Peter took a place towards the back. I just sat in the first one I saw, unable to stop my leg from lightly bouncing up and down.

“Do you need ginger ale or anything,” Peter said disinterestedly.

“No...no I’m good.” I was actually both thirsty and hungry. I had always had issues asking for things, or getting people to help me in general. One time at summer camp I had gotten stuck on rope bridge at the playground. It had taken the camp counselors until lunch time to realize I couldn’t get off on my own. Eventually, an attendant came over with a glass of water. I thanked her and finished it quickly after she left.

The ride was easy and comfortable. Before I knew it we had arrived in Paris. A car was waiting for us on the tarmac, and Peter hurried me into it before I could get a good look around. With our bags safely placed in the trunk, Peter instructed the driver to go. The scenery was so wonderful my eyes couldn’t peel themselves away. Old buildings lined old streets, with stone bridges and monuments and statues. It was a dream, almost.

“First time in Paris?” I turned in surprise to look at Peter. He was checking some papers from his briefcase. Why was he trying to talk to me?

“Oh. Uhm yeah. It’s really beautiful.”

“Hopefully you’ll see more of it in time.” He snapped the clasps on his case shut. “I’ve been assigned as your personal security for the time being.”

“I don’t...why do I need security?”

“You’re going to be handling very precious artifacts. It’s only a precaution.” I didn’t want to argue with Peter, frankly. Perhaps they just didn’t want me snitching too easily. Our car rolled to a stop in the courtyard of an elegant mansion in a quiet neighborhood. It was stately, like a home from a Jane Austen novel. I felt like a commoner. The driver got my door and I was greeted by Regina striding towards me, her face shining like the sun.

“Jude! Darling how was your flight. Not too hard?”

“Oh no, miss. It was really comfortable.”

“Please dear, just call me Regina! I have so much to catch you up on before we can get to work!” She snapped at Peter and he nodded, taking my things into the house before I could object. “Come inside, dear.”

“I thought Peter was taking me to my residence?”

“Lawler, honey! Didn’t I tell you? You’ll be living with me and the other girls.”

“Funny, you didn’t mention it…” I really was heading into the lion’s den.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry dearie. You’re going to love the others! Jacques! Frisk her please.” A dark man came up behind me and gave me a pat down. He found only my wallet in my pocket. “Alright then. Now we can really start the interview.” I gulped. I knew it couldn’t have been that easy. Regina lead me to a private office to the side of the grand entry hall (I didn’t have much time to inspect it). She sat at her desk and I was forced into the opposing chair by Jacques. A few minutes passed before the side door opened, revealing a pale looking man in his early fifties holding some files. He was dressed in a nice navy blue pinstripe suit with brown shoes and a flowery tie.

“Sorry, Reggie. I got held up on a call to Tokyo.”

“Not at all, Miami. Oh, Jude this is Jim Beach. We call him Miami because Jim is too boring.” The man gave a comforting smile to me as he walked over to Regina. I gave him a slight nod in return. “Miami is our lawyer. Miami, this is Jude Lawler. I want her to help with our antiquities project.”

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Lawler.” He gave a short nod before opening a file on her desk. “And remember Reggie...”

“Yes, yes, Miami, I’ll let you know if things get serious. I’ll call you when we’re done. Jacques you can leave too.” Regina returned attention to me after the men left. She moved from her seat to the other side of the desk, leaning against it as she looked at me. She was wearing a beautiful dark blue colored dress. It complimented her hair wonderfully, but I think that she could wear a garbage bag and look ethereal. “I’ll be frank Jude. You’re a pretty little thing,” she murmured as her hand grazed my cheek. I tried not to faint as her perfume wafted into my nose, her soft fingers running along my jaw. “I’d hate to ruin it.” Even when she was threatening me I couldn’t help but stare in awe of her. “You’re a smart girl. You obviously know we aren’t...the most legal of workplaces. Understand the consequences of any...disloyalty...will be harsh.” She smiled her dazzling smile and I thought I’d melt into the seat. She pushed off the table towards me, leaning down to meet my eyes. I braced myself against the chair, trying my hardest not to completely fall apart in front of her. She could tell she was getting to me. “You have a terrible poker face.” My face blushed a deep shade of red.

“R-really?”

“Mhmm. Remind me to never take you gambling.” She pushed a lock of hair behind my ear and returned to her side of the desk, leaving me to stew in agony. This woman would be the death of me.


	4. Chapter 4

King was not a family name. In fact her name was Regina Taylor. The other ‘King Sisters’ were not her sisters. They were her friends and sometimes lovers (I didn’t understand how they could still function an intricate criminal organization with that level of soap opera level drama happening) and they all worked together and Miami was their lawyer.

There was Brianne May. She was an astrophysicist turned mafia head after her thesis dissertation was stolen by a professor. With help from Regina, she made sure he never saw tenure and became a part of the criminal underground ever since.

Melina Mercury, (once known as Melina Bulsara) was an excellent forger and charlatan. She almost eloped with the Crown Prince of Sweden before running off with his cousin instead to Moscow after she was found out.

Johanna Deacon was tech savvy genius who had gotten conned out of a multi-million dollar amp patent by her ex-boyfriend (now ex-living boyfriend). She also acted as the head of security.

And then there was Regina. She was from an affluent family who lended money across the globe. After she was passed over for her brother to take over the family business, she started her own business, crushed him, and got him locked away in a (not) nice Romanian prison for attempting to kill a woman.

They were all dangerous. And they were all also hot as fuck.

That first evening was interesting to say the least. A housekeeper helped me to my room. It was comfortable, rustic almost with its wooden furniture and light blue comforter. A desk was sat beside a window facing the courtyard, and there was a bathroom off to the side that was colored a light pastel pink with creamy tile floors.

“Will that be all, miss?”

“Hmm? Oh yeah! Thanks so much. Just call me Jude by the way.” She nodded and closed the door behind her, leaving me to unpack my things. It was obvious they had looked through my bags, but I pushed it away and began putting my clothes in the tiny closet I was provided. With a heave I pulled out the last of my things, a pile of books I drug with me from home. They found a nice spot on top of the dresser by my bed. My final task was to look around my room. I checked every nook and cranny I could think of for...what was I looking for? Listening devices? Cameras? It didn’t seem to matter cause I couldn’t find anything. A knock on my door pulled me from my paranoia. I opened it to find Peter standing there.

“Hey. Can I come in?”

“Uh…sure?” I stood aside and he entered casually, placing a package on the desk.

“This is the standard issue laptop, it comes with security programming, and Microsoft Office and the works.”

“God, tell me you don’t use Internet Explorer.” He couldn’t hide the smirk that flashed on his face before disappearing. So he wasn’t made of stone.

“We’re not animals, Jude. We use Chrome and Mozilla.” I snorted and checked out the laptop. It was nice. Nothing you could play a high end video game on, but perfectly suited for browsing and work. Probably also being monitored. Memo to me, don’t look up porn on it. “It’s yours now. For personal use.” God it felt like he could read my mind. “And, Regina wanted me to tell you that you’ll be dining with the ladies this evening.” I froze and slowly lowered the laptop so I didn’t hurl it out the window in adrenaline rushed terror.

“What? Oh. No. Nonononono. Nope. Mmm-mm. Nuh-uh. Not happening.” Peter raised an eyebrow as I started to panic. “Can’t you tell her I’m sick? Is it too early to fake my death? Oh jesus.”

“Jude, calm down it’s just dinner.”

“Easy for you to say! I’ve had a very busy day and all I want is to make some cheesy bread and watch Youtube videos! That and I’m pretty sure I’ll embarrass myself if I go within 10 feet of any of the other ladies.” I felt my chest tighten in that way that I knew I was going to start actually going crazy. I slumped on the bed and tried to ease the tension by clawing at my hair

“Jude,” Peter said quietly, almost with sincerity. I looked up at him through my hands and saw he actually was sincere. “You’ll be fine. They can be intimidating at first but...you’ll be fine. Just try to act as normal as possible.” It lifted some of the knottedness of my stomach and my body slowly turned itself back down to a 4 from the previous 11.

“Thanks, Peter.”

“No problem…” He pressed his lips together and nodded a goodbye to me and headed for the door. He paused a second, and turned back to me. “Dinner is at 6:30…” He left, closing the door behind me.

I refused to leave my room until it was time for dinner. I watched as many videos of dogs and cats as I could to try and calm down. I was driving myself nuts with worry. Then I looked back at my closet. What the fuck was I going to wear? I worried and worried...but for some reason I decided that enough was enough. This place made me uncomfortable with a capital UN. I was going to dress how I wanted for dinner.

The second I stepped out my door, I felt like an idiot. I was wearing my hoodie, a wonder woman t-shirt, jeans, and my ripped up off-brand chuck taylors. The fanciest thing about me was my black nail polish I slapped on haphazardly. I turned around to go back and change when I heard someone cough behind me. I turned and saw a girl, about my age, with beautiful thick brown hair and green-gray eyes. She was dressed in a tank top and jeans, with bandages all over her fingers and hands.

“Oh hey. What happened to your hands?” It was the first thing I could think of. She smiled and wiggled them playfully.

“Foolin’ around with stuff. This one was an electrical burn, this one I cut on some silicon, this one I actually sliced my hand on a soup can.” I couldn’t help but laugh as she pointed out her multiple maladies. “I’m Jo.”

“Jude.”

“Look at that. We kinda match don’t we?” She smiled at me reassuringly. She had a soft voice, and kind eyes, and I wanted to marry her on the spot. Wait, no. Stop. Stop trying to marry every single woman you see, Jude. For fucks sakes, we get it your emotionally starved. “Come on, you coming to dinner?”

“Oh, I have to eat with the ladies and uhm...well I think I should probably change.” Jo simply tugged lightly on my shirt.

“Come on we’re gonna be late.” I let her pull me to the dining room, because I really had no idea what the layout of the house was like. We entered to find Regina and two other women. One had extremely curly dark hair and was wearing jeans and a button up linen shirt. The other woman was wearing leather pants and a low v-shirt. “Hey guys. Reggie is Jude our newest then?”

“OH! Jo you ruined the surprise!”

“I’m a surprise,” I muttered to myself incredulously as Reggie pulled me to the table. It was pizza. Thank god it was pizza. And garlic knots. And mozzarella sticks. Jesus these girls ate a lot of carbs. Reggie had changed into her apparent night attire of very short shorts and a shirt that looked like she could almost wear it as a dress.

“Mel! Get your goddamn feet off the table.” The curly woman finally spoke. Both Regina and Mel eyed each other, smirking as Mel did as she was told and planted her feet firmly on the ground. “Hi. I’m Brianne.” She held out a slender hand and I shook it.

“Hey. Jude.”

“HEY JUDE,” Regina and Melina both yelled and high-fived. Brianne rolled her eyes.

“They always do that when someone says the title of a song.” She sat across from them and tried to ignore them as she ate her pizza. Jo nodded towards the empty seats and we sat down. It felt more like a slumber party than a mafia dinner. It didn’t take long for my hungry stomach to get the best of me, and I began to chow down. Melina wanted to know everything about me. Reggie was extremely proud of their new member (like I was a new sorority sister or something). Brianne was glad that I was intellectually stimulating (apparently). Jo liked that I didn’t scream every five minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time on: Lesbians Doing Crime.
> 
> A whole lot of flirting with the new girl.  
> IT's like pick your own girlfriend except impossible cause they're all great.  
> Say who you want to win the rose from Jude.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight angst here, as well as description of a panic attack.

Somehow we ended up in their sitting room. They were all drinking wine like there was no tomorrow. I was the youngest in an Irish family. I was used to being the only sober one. Melina was chastising Brianne about something, probably that her latest boyfriend was an utter bore, when it began. First Regina started flirting in little ways. Glances and light touches that still made me blush. She seemed spurred on by my timidness.

“Darling! Have some wine.” Melina pursed her lips and put a jovial hand on my shoulder. “Come! It’s a celebration! You’re a King now.” I blushed and shook my head.

“Nah I’m not one for wine.”

“What’s your poison, then dearie?” I paused for a moment.

“Beer, whiskey when I want something strong. I’m always a slut for a vodka and cranberry though.” I grinned widely as Melina laughed heartily, nodding in agreement.

“Reggie! You’ve hired an absolute butch of a girl! But my dear, you’re a girl after my own heart. Vodka and cranberry can take me out any day.”

“You should’ve seen her, Mel. Fish to water.” Reggie sipped from her glass and gave me a sly wink, making me smile at my feet. Brianne walked over holding a glass of brown liquid and offered it to me. I thanked her and slugged it back, causing Mel and Regina to cheer. “She’s got some Irish in her, Mel. By the way, what happened to that Irish girl you were seeing. Jamie was it?” Melina rolled her eyes and waved it off like it was nothing.

“We’re not a thing. It was a night of flirting and she clearly was not interested in this, though why I don’t know.” She gestured to herself with a flourish before sitting down next to Jo, who was quietly watching the spectacle as well. “Come on! I want to play a game.”

“What game this time, Melina?” Brianne tried to sound disinterested, but I saw her eyebrow raise slightly. I had a feeling Melina was one for grand escapades. She gave a wide toothy grin, showing off her wonderful teeth to us.

“I’m not sure. Joey? Any suggestions?” She shook her head, and Melina turned to Regina. “What about you, Roger?” The blonde woman put her wine glass to the side and was silent a moment.

“I think we need to initiate the greenie.” Their eyes all turned to me and I immediately felt my flight or fight response begin to kick in. I tried to quash it as best I could with a nervous laugh. “I propose a bet.”

“Oh?” Brianne instantly became involved, moving closer to the group.

“I knew you’d like that, Bri. Yeah. A bet. To see who she falls in love with first.”

“No fair, Reggie! You’ve had a head start. But I’m willing to make that bet.” Melina was grinning like she had just heard the best news of her life. Brianne was smiling, a competitive glow in her eyes. Johanna didn’t acknowledge the others. She was looking directly at me.

“Jude?” Her voice was soft. “You ok?” I suddenly realized I felt like I was going to throw up. The others finally noticed me and their demeanor changed. I realized how clenched my teeth were, how tense my muscles must look, how pale my face must be. I didn’t know what to say. I felt like crying.

“Oh. Oh sweetheart I’m sorry we were just playing. No need to get upset.” Melina rushed over to me and put her arms around me. “So sorry. We are a bit much, aren’t we?” Brianne looked positively mortified and Regina was ashamed now that she realized she had gone a too far. “Really. Listen, we never want to make you uncomfortable, darling. Really. You’re with us right?” I looked at her, trying to discern something in her eyes that would clue me to if she was lying.

“But how...how do you know you can trust me? Or that I can trust you?” My voice cracked a little and I wanted to bury my head into the cushions and disappear. Melina gave a soft chuckle and shook me gently.

“Because...because you’re in the same vein as us. Women who play in the gray area of morality. Women who look out for other women because we know...we know no one else is looking out for us…” That evening, I trusted the King Sisters. And they trusted me. We were there for each other.

It no longer felt like I was signing a deal with the devil. I was just finding my coven.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dedicated to my discord friend, Dathaniel. :DDD This one's for you.

Johanna was technically my boss with Miami, since I was working with important assets. Jo gave me the security clearance I needed, card, finger prints, the works. Then after she briefed me, she lead me down to the basement. It reminded me of the archives of the museums and collections I interned at in my college years. Someone was playing electroswing.

“Hey! Danny! Daniel get out here!” A skinny, fluffy haired, thick rim glasses wearing guy in his early 20s came out from behind a pile of boxes. His shirt was rolled up to his elbows, and he was wearing latex gloves and a head light. We must have caught him in the middle of his work. “Danny, this is Jude.”

“Hey! Nice to meet you.” He smiled and nodded at me. I refrained from touching his gloves, and he glanced thankfully. “So, who picked you up? Melina find you in a Libyan prison too?” He laughed like that was a perfectly normal thing to happen to a person.

“I uh. I worked in London...Regina kinda killed my boss.” It was the first time I had actually said it out loud. Weirdly it didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. Daniel nodded and waved us over.

“Cool. Check it out. We’re getting this bad boy back to Egypt to the museum in Cairo. Got looted back in the 1900s.” We were examining a small obsidian statue of an ibis, the base had hieroglyphs along the bottom.

“You translate those yet?” He shook his head.

“We just got her in. Thankfully Reggie found someone to help around here.” He shook his head in dismay at the collection. “Just in time too. I’m sure Miami is breathing down our necks to get some of this out.”

“I think I’ll leave you two to get to work. I’ll be a landing up in the security center.”

“Kay. Thanks Johanna.” Daniel waved goodbye and handed me a set of globes. “Let’s get to work on those hieroglyphs.”  
______________________  
“So...a Libyan prison?”

“Ok I might have killed someone trying to loot the sight.”

“You...you killed someone.” I found it absurd that Daniel, this scrawny nerd, could ever kill anyone.

“They were a looter! So I kinda...shot him.”

“Danny you don’t ‘kinda shoot’ someone.”

“Fair. But Melina found me, worked some magic and gave me a job helping them with their artifacts.” He took a bite of his sandwich. We were eating lunch after a long morning discerning the writing on the statue’s base.

“Why do they have so many?”

“I dunno. They’re rich? They’re like vigilantes...Robin Hoods except way more murder-y. So Reggie killed your boss?”  
“He was literally the worst...he assaulted one of my co-workers. I don’t know how Regina found out about him but I’m glad she did it.” It made me happy that out-of-work history majors wouldn’t have to deal with him anymore.

“Mood.”

“Also, are they all gay?”

“Everyone here is gay or a woman. Or, you know…” He motioned at himself. “Not white.”

“So a straight white man's worst nightmare? A well organized machine of vigilante assassins and thieves made up entirely of disenfranchised individuals?”

“Pretty much. I haven’t met the triple threat yet, but god she’s gonna fuck some shit up when she gets here.”

Work seemed absurdly normal for Danny and I, and we became friends fast. He told me he had a super bad crush on Peter, who we agreed looked shockingly like Jon Hamm. I explained that I felt like I was on a warped version of the Bachelorette. We both agreed we were there for each other. We were Basement Squad. Even Johanna got in on it, laughing at the absurdity but eventually agreeing to join our squad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More plot related next time. I just wanted a little break between DRaMa.


	7. Chapter 7

“Come on, Jude. Hit me harder than that.” Johanna and I were in the gym on the padded floor. I could feel my back sweat soaking my tank top. Johanna looked like she was fine though, so I wiped my forehead on my arm.

“Ok...Ok.” I mustered up anger from anything I could think of. That dick from 7th grade. Jonah. God his fucking stupid face. With that in mind, I threw a hard punch straight at Jo’s head. She easily sidestepped and pinned me to the ground. I slapped more than tapped under her hold. “You could at least let me land a hit you know.”

“I’ll never let you land a hit. If you hit me it’s gonna be all you baby.” She offered her hand and I took it. Jo was still trying to teach me self-defense. I was still terrible at it. “Don’t worry. You’re getting a lot better. I’ve been doing this a long time. Don’t expect yourself to be perfect. Do what you can, that’s all I can ask for.” She gave me a good natured pat on the back and a small smile. I really liked Jo. She was the nicest woman I’d ever met in my life. And she was super cute and could knock my teeth out. “Lunch?”

“I need a bath first.”

“Fair enough. See ya then.” She walked off towards the kitchen and I wandered barefoot to my room. After a while, I had learned the general layout of the house. Regina was on the top floor with Brianne. Melina, Jo, and I were on the second floor as well as Miami’s office. Apparently there were two houses on the lot, connected by an underground tunnel. The other house was occupied by staff and security. Miami, however, got to live off premises. 

My room was cool, making me shiver in my sweaty clothes. My muscles ached and I felt like I could sleep for a good century. Gross clothes were thrown aside as I ran the warm water and rose scented soap to make a concoction that felt so damn nice. It tingled against my skin as I sank into the water, the steam opening my face. I couldn’t help but sigh. I might have fallen asleep, or I might have been delirious from exhaustion, but my eyes fluttered open and I saw her. Regina.

“Shh. Don’t say anything darling.” She bent down her head and kissed my lips softly. I daren’t move, afraid this was a dream that I could wake up from at any moment. I lifted a wet hand to her face and kissed her back. She smiled at me as it receded back into the water. “I’m sorry for the other night.”

“I’m just a mess.”

“No. It was wrong of me...I guess meeting with you while you’re in the tub is also slightly wrong…” I suddenly became aware this was very real, but for once my anxiety wasn’t activated. 

“Hand me that towel?” She turned from me as I dried myself and put on the fluffy white bathrobe they had provided with me. We both sat on the cool floor as I watched the water sink into the drain. “I’m just going through growing pains.”

“No. What we did was terrible. And I’m sorry. We’re all sorry.” I paused before smiling at my feet and nudging her gently.

“So...you all have a crush on me?”

“Oh, shove off,” she laughed.

“God I wonder what it’s like having four women dote on me at once.” She smirked and tousled my wet hair.

“Don’t get too cocky.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s one thing you won’t have to worry about with me.”

“And you really are ok...being a criminal?”

“There’s a difference between laws and morals. I don’t give a fuck about laws, just about morals...If Jo’s shown me anything, I’m going to make a pretty pathetic criminal.” She squeezed my hand gently.

“Don’t worry. You got us to keep you safe...and Miami to keep you out of jail. I’ll see you later.” And she left, a swish of her golden head as she glided away, leaving me to dry my hair and think about my life.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Rape and violent death mentioned later in the chapter. Transphobia. Mourning
> 
> It's a rough chapter.

I was walking through the halls, just meditating with my thoughts. I found myself doing that alot. This place was like a personal monastery, allowing me to ponder about the nature of philosophy and morality. Call it my Catholic upbringing, but I found myself worried about my lasting effect on people around me. Could I kill someone? Where is my line? Sure they seem to help those in need but not all of this organization could be so good. 

I was taken out of my mind by the door to Miami’s office slightly ajar. A labored sigh was followed by the clinking of ice in a glass and the pouring of liquid. I approached and gently knocked on the door.

“Oh uh, come in.” Miami seemed surprised to see me. We really never talked, him being kept busy by work in his office and I spending most of my days in the basement. “Oh. Ms. Lawler...er, Jude.”

“Hey. Everything alright Miami?” He looked pale and a decanter full of scotch was resting beside him with a glass half empty. 

“Yeah yeah. Just a little under the weather.” He struggled to offer a smile as he threw back the drink quickly. 

“Could I ask you a uhm...a personal question?” i slowly closed the door behind me and sat down. Miami seemed a little put off but nodded, pouring me a drink and refilling his drink. “How did you end up working for the Kings? Everyone else seemed to have a...well we all seem like rescues…”

“I guess I do seem a little...different from the others. I’m and old white guy.”

“You’re not that old.”

“Thanks,” he said with a more natural smile. “I had a daughter. Sam. She was so great. Smart as a whip, and so, so brave.” He stared into his glass for a moment.   
“When she told me she was Samantha, not Samuel, she was so scared. Oh god it must have been so hard for her, being a mixed kid and on all of that trying to come out? Broke my heart. But I loved her with all my heart...she really was my little girl.” The scotch was drunk again in a quick second, making him grimace from the burn, or from the pain he was going through. “She was 16. She was only 16. They had raped her and beaten her to death… you couldn’t...you couldn’t…” He put his head into his hands and shook, trying not to sob. I instantly moved to him, terrified and wanting to console him. “You couldn’t even tell who she was...her face was so broken...but I still knew it as my little girl.” The tears finally came, and I hugged him tightly. “And those...those fuckers. Got off with no time. They killed her but the courts failed her. I failed her… My wife and I couldn’t handle it. We got divorced soon after...but I couldn’t let go. I found the Kings...or I guess they found me...they got my Sammy justice. I tried to give them all of my money, but they refused. They only agreed to let me act as their lawyer...Sammy would have been 25 today…”

“I’m so sorry, Jim.” 

“Thank you.” I gave him another hug, only pulling away when I felt I was slightly crushing him. “Thank you, Jude. Please don’t tell them that I’ve been drinking today.”

“I promise. Please take care of yourself, Miami.” I squeezed his hand comfortingly.

“Of course.”


	9. Chapter 9

“Goddammit, Brianne.” Reggie was angrily putting her tiles back on her tiny tray.

“I’m sorry but that’s not how you spell credence.”

“You’re not how you spell credence,” Reggie muttered angrily as she reevaluated her tiles. Scrabble nights were close to deadly in the King Home. Security and   
staff had been invited to a party by Reggie, who loved herself a party. Especially if Scrabble was involved. “Fine. I play ‘dunce’. You go Jude.” I put down my letters.

“Kumquat.”

“FUCKING BITCH.” Reggie had to stand to avoid flipping the low table we were playing.

“That’s 72 points, Melina,” I said, a shit-eating grin spreading across my face.

“GODDAMN YOUR STUPID NICHE KNOWLEDGE ON FRUITS. First Acai in Scattergories and now this? Fucking kill me.” She slumped against the couch. Danny shook my shoulder in congratulations. I’m pretty sure he wasn’t paying attention to the game, though. He was busy trying to watch Peter without being creepy.   
“I concede.”

“Congrats, Jude. You’re officially a King now. Regina has called you a bitch over a board game.” Melina laughed at Regina’s sour face. “Look at her! Come on Roger. It’s just a game.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Oh jesus it’s almost 1.” It really was late. Even Reggie found herself yawning. “I’m going to bed. Night all.” Everyone slowly left, going to their rooms. I managed to catch Daniel leaving with Peter, laughing at something he had said. By 1:30, it was just Melina and I in the lowlight of the sitting room. I was on the chaise lounge, slightly nodding off on my arm. 

“Darling. Come on let’s go to bed.” I nodded and walked sleepily with Melina to my room. “You’re so cute when your sleepy,” she giggled quietly. I realized I was kinda drunk.

“You are too...cute I mean...not sleepy. Maybe you are? I love your smile.” That took her back a bit.

“What?” I nodded clumsily.

“Yeah...I love your smile. That thing you do after you smile with your lip...like you’re self-conscious about your teeth.”

“I was born with extra incisors.”

“It’s a really beautiful smile…” I opened my door. “Gnight, Mel.”

“Jude, wait.” She caught my arm and I turned. We were both blushing from drunkenness and lovey-dovey feelings. She pulled me close and kissed me. I was so surprised that I hadn’t even had time to process it before Melina was running down the hallway back to her room.

“Gnight,” I whispered to myself.


	10. Chapter 10

I peaked my head around the corner of the empty ballroom. Yes. This place had a ballroom, and it happened to be my favorite room. I quickly shut the doors behind me and did a little test of a spin. I could hear the music playing in my head. Waltz of the Flowers, the Nutcracker. 

I loved ballet, ever since I was a little girl, but I never learned to dance. Honestly, it was hard for me to imagine a ballerina my size. I was tall and wide, big-boned and boyish. Not the physique for ballet. It was still nice to pretend, though. Even in my tiny flat in London, I had pretended I was a dancer, playing my Tchaikovsky records on loop. 

And here, I was allowed to leap and spin to my heart’s content. I hummed the familiar tune and took my made up position in the center of the room. Then I began my waltz.  
It was sloppy and imperfect, not even a waltz. But my pretend partner and I didn’t care. I imagined myself in the middle of a grand ball, surrounded by duchesses and princes. Swirling around in multicolored dresses three times the size of the wearers. Handsome, glittering medals adorned by golden tassels. Perhaps even a gentlewoman, dressed in tails, would ask for my hand in the dance. 

“You’re quite the dancer.”

I gave a shout of surprise and stopped my dance. Brianne was standing there, black suit pants and a white dress shirt with most of her buttons undone, exposing her black sports bra. My face turned bright red and I looked for the nearest escape route, but the lanky woman had the only exit blocked. I directed my attention to my feet, which were now sandwiched together tightly. Then I saw her feet, toe to toe with mine. 

“Do you want to know how to waltz? I can teach you.”

“Really?” I looked up, excited and giddy, before remembering my mortification and returned my eyes downward. “I mean...no...I don’t…”

“Come with me.” She had to drag me to the library (which acted more as her library than anything else). Brianne planted me firmly on the carpeted floor and went rummaging by a record player on one side of the grand wooden room. Books stretched upwards and natural light flooded in from large glass windows facing towards the garden that the two houses shared. “Here we are. George Balanchine.” She placed the record lightly and navigated to the according track. God it sounded heavenly in this room. Brianne watched me carefully before taking my hand in hers. “Here we go. Hand on my shoulder, I’ll lead. Now, you know the waltz beat?”

“1-2-3-1-2-3.”

“Perfect. Now we’re gonna dance in a box. And here we go.” We began and I followed our feet like a hawk. Initially, she let me, but she was a hard teacher. “Come on, Jude. Eyes up.” I met her gaze, and practically melted. Her hazel eyes were strong like ancient forests, piercing me softly as she urged me on. Her hand tightened on my waist, and I forgot entirely about the steps. Brianne was made of something celestial, cold and burning bright in the universe. Her movements seemed conducted by noble gases, her voice trimmed with stardust in its patterns. I was suddenly aware we weren’t moving anymore. The track had ended. We were just staring at each other now. Bri was looking down at me with some strange emotion I couldn’t translate.

She pulled away, blushing slightly. It was strange seeing pink in her normally pale cheeks. 

“I don’t think you need to be taught anything,” she huffed before leaving the library. I almost called out after her...but I was too scared of causing a scene, so I hurried back to my room, hoping no one else had seen me dancing.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Choking/Suffocation, Fighting

I woke up to hear knocking at my door. I groaned loudly before lifting my head off the pillow and giving a sharp ‘what is it’. 

“Jude, it’s Peter. They need you down in the briefing room.” I lifted my head higher. The briefing room? I never went in there. Never. “As soon as possible.”

“Alright I’m coming.” It only took me a few minutes to brush my hair, take my meds, and drag some jeans and a t-shirt onto my body. No one could say I wasn’t efficient when getting ready. I opened the door and saw Peter still standing there. “What is it? Is it about Harry?” Harry was the skeleton of a prehistoric Native American man that they...we...had stolen from a collector and was shipping back to his culturally affiliated tribe. It was my biggest problem at the time. Even though we shipped him back with escorts, I was still terrified of something happening.

“No. Har-...the body is back in Washington where he belongs. This is something new.” We descended towards the basement and entered a room off to the side of the security office. Regina was in a black pencil skirt and ruffled blouse, pointing at a large floor plan. When she saw me, she gave me a charming smile and patted the open area of the table next to her.

“Jude! Come in darling, come in!”

“What’s going on, Reggie?” I saw Brianne with her stony look soften before she turned away to get something behind her. Melina also wouldn’t make eye contact with me. Johanna was coldly glaring at Regina.

“We need you. For our next job...we need you in the field.” I felt my face drain of color, but Regina shook my hand supportingly. “No, no darling let me explain. We have been contact by the family of Celine Montague.” She pushed a picture of a pretty, dark young woman towards me. “She was found strangled in her apartment one year ago. She was having an affair with this man, Jean-Pierre Lemieux, a wealthy businessman with a wife and kids in Quebec. He was the sole suspect in the investigation, but as the world turns money buys you influence. He never saw trial and the whole thing was swept under the rug. Recently, he’s begun selling her jewelry under the table. Celine’s family wants us to steal a pair of diamond earrings given to her by her mother. But we’re not doing that. We are stealing the entire collection and giving the money to Celine’s parents.” Reggie sat back in the office chair behind her, looking me over while tapping her lip with a bright pink pen.

“I...can’t…”

“Darling, we’re only asking you because people know our faces. We need you to distract Lemieux.” 

“Regina, stop. She’s obviously not comfortable with it.” Johanna suddenly broke her icy silence. “Just make a new plan.”

“No...no I can do it…” I swallowed my fear, nodding. “I want to help. Tell me what you need to do.” Reggie gave me another smile that made me want to melt into my sneakers. Melina gave me a good natured pat on the shoulder. 

“Ok then. We strike in two days. Lemieux will be holding a party in the Parisian mansion.”  
_________________________________________  
“Oh god oh god oh god oh god.” 

“Jude you’re talking to yourself,” Johanna buzzed into my ear and I swallowed my mutterings. I tried to just remember all of their looks when I descended the staircase in the sapphire gown they had made for me. Smitten is the best word I could muster up. It made me blush, my heart bursting with warmth. Again my chest ached with that feeling, helping me not be afraid. The party was filled with elegant people. I felt so out of place. “Ok. We just need you to find Lemieux.”

“Don’t worry, Jude. I’m sticking to you like glue.” Peter squeezed my elbow. He was dressed in a lavish tuxedo, simple but handsome. He seemed to fit in so perfectly. I couldn’t imagine Daniel’s reaction to seeing Peter dressed to the t’s like James Bond, gun and all. “There’s Lemieux.” He nodded through the crowd towards a good-looking man in his late 30’s, dark brown hair framing a handsome face. “Remember, you want to purchase-”

“His authentic suit of Samurai armor, dating back to 1613, early Edo period. You don’t think I’ve been studying this religiously, Peter?” He gave a small smile and nodded before calling over an assistant. I put on my best air of aloof elegance as Peter spoke in French, explaining my wish to look over his samurai armor. The man nodded, and I was given the name Madame Law. I watched as the assistant approached Lemieux, nodded my way, and spoke in hushed tones. Lemieux looked at me, instantly interested. He began walking over to us, and I could feel my heart begin to race. Peter gave my arm another squeeze.

“Good evening, Madame Law.” He kissed my hand gently, and I had to keep myself from kicking him in the balls. Peter immediately stepped forward, explaining my intentions to the man in French. His eyes were set on me the entire time. “Of course. Follow me, Madame.” He led us from the crowded party to a gallery farther into the house. He stopped before a door guarded by two large men. “Madame, if you would. I would prefer if your security stayed behind.

“Jude don’t go in without Peter.” Brianne suddenly entered my head. I gave my most innocent smile.

“Of course, Monsieur Lemieux.” Peter gave me wide, hard eyes, but I just mouthed, ‘it’s ok’ to him and entered the room.

“Jude get out of there. Jude. Jude!” I ignored the voice in my ear and walked into the darkened gallery with Lemieux.

“This is my historical collection. My assistant said you were interested in this, though.” We stopped before an impressive set of samurai armor.

“The kawari-kabuto is very impressive.” I pointed slightly at the demon faced helmet. 

“Indeed. Impressive.” He was standing very closely to me. I feigned bashfulness and turned my head away. “But let me show you other pieces. I retrieved this print on the same trip to Japan.” He took me by the shoulders and we came to a grand scene of boats floating on a calm river, held underneath glass. 

“Jude. Mel’s almost done. Just a few more minutes.”

“Beautiful.”

“Yes...indeed.” Our attentions were suddenly turned towards scuffling outside the door.

“Shit.” Melina finally spoke, breath quickened. Peter’s grunts were also coming in. I turned towards the door and took a step. I felt Lemieux’s hand grab my arm and yank me close.

“You bitch.” He must have noticed my com, because he plucked it out of my ear and crushed it under his foot. I began to panic.

“Let me go!”

“Who are you working for.” His grip tightened around my wrist. I could feel my bones begin to crack under the pressure. “Tell me,” he hissed. I shook my head.

“Peter!” I shouted as loudly as I could. It only took a few seconds for the door to swing open. Peter was badly bruised, and a cut on his lip was bleeding. The two guards were lying at his feet. Lemieux swung me around, his hand moving to my throat. He began to choke me.

“Not a step further, or I kill her.” Peter stopped his slow approach and looked at me. His eyes tried to tell me not to worry, but I was being strangled by a rich murderer. Sue me for not being perfectly calm.

“Pe-....Pete-...” I thrashed but Lemieux just tightened his grip, making me gag for breath.

“Let her go, Lemieux.”

“Who do you work for.” When Peter didn’t respond, Lemieux growled and gripped my neck as hard as possible. I wasn’t getting any air. I was panicking. Things started getting fuzzy and dark. Then, I went unconscious.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feelings are complicated.
> 
> Hurt/comfort between Jude and Johanna.

Regina was holding my hand. I would have probably become a blushing mess if my head didn’t hurt so terribly. 

“Reggie?”

“Shh, darling. It’s alright.”

“I’m so sorry…”

“No...no it’s ok.” She smiled and pet my head gently. I couldn’t resist leaning into it. 

“I should’ve stayed with Peter…I should’ve listened...I just wanted the plan to work.” I was leaned against her in the back of the mobile command. Johanna was a mix of worry and anger, bandaging a cut on Melina’s hand, who seemed more worried about me than the gash she had gotten during her escape. Brianne was on the other side of me, her cold stare turned to Regina. God I wanted them all to hold me. 

“Hush darling. I shouldn’t have pushed you.” Regina moved a lock of hair out of my eyes tenderly. The car finally stopped. Johanna refused to let me walk and carried me to my room, my futile protests following us the entire time.

“Jo...really.”

“Shut up.” Her voice was sharp with worry, and I did as she said. She put me down gently in my bed and helped me get into a large t-shirt and sweatpants. “Why didn’t you listen…” She whispered it so quietly, it seemed like she was asking herself rather than me. 

“Jo, I’m sorry...I just wanted to prove I wasn’t useless…” I felt tears begin to bud at the corners of my eyes. Johanna’s gaze shot up to me in a grief and disbelief.

“Useless? Jude…”

“I am though...I try but I’m just…” I pulled my legs up to my chin. “I’m just normal…” I tried to subtly wipe the drops away, but Jo didn’t miss anything. She crawled next to me in bed and held me tightly. She didn’t say anything for a while, just hugged me close to her.

“You’re not an out of date computer. You’re a person. People aren’t useless. I have never met such a smart, kind person as you...for God’s sakes, Jude. Please tell me you see what   
I see.” I turned into her neck for comfort.

“What do you see?”

“Someone...someone I love.” I looked up at her. Her eyes glistened with tears. I ran a hand through her fluffy, wavy hair. She was so beautiful.

“You love me?”

“Of course, my dear. I think we all do.” My heart began to race again. 

“I don’t want to have to choose.”

“You love us all then?”

“Who wouldn’t. You’re all beautiful, intelligent, yet so different and unique.” I held onto her, afraid she’d go away. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry this is all so complicated…”

“It’s going to be ok, Jude. We’re never going to leave you. Never.” I fell asleep like that, holding onto her, terrified of what had happened and what was going to happen. But, it was if Jo kept the nightmares away. I snuggled into her, sleeping peacefully for once.


	13. Chapter 13

Sometime during the night, Jo whispered something to me and left. I couldn’t remember what it was but it made me warm and safe inside. I woke up still feeling drained, but better than before. I got up from bed, quickly took my meds, and headed out into the hallway. It must have been at least 10 o’clock, the sun brightly shining into the main corridor. 

“Jude! You’re up.” Peter hurried up the stairs towards me. He had a few bruises and some stitches on his lip, but otherwise looked fine. “We should get you checked out. Come on.” I didn’t protest, letting myself be walked to the small medical ward of the mansion. I guess you couldn’t exactly send your workers to public hospitals after they killed someone quite violently. Peter sat me down on one of the cots and began looking me over. He took my head gently and examined my neck, eyes darting over what I could only assume were bruises. He looked like he was gonna be sick.

“Come on, Peter. This isn’t the worst thing that’s happened to me...and I’m positive this isn’t the worst injury you’ve seen on someone.” 

“I know I know...I was meant to make sure you didn’t get hurt, Jude.”

“I made the decision to go in by myself. It was my own fault…” I turned to look at him. His eyes seemed so scared. I’d never seen Peter like this. 

“You won’t have to worry about Lemieux...I took care of it.” I didn’t ask what happened. I knew better than that. Leo, the nurse practitioner, came in soon after. He gave me the standard checkup, checked if I had breathing issues or a concussion. Soon, though he cleared me, and Peter escorted me out.

“Do you know where Reggie is?”

“Still upstairs I believe.”

“Alright. Thanks.” I turned and started walking up the staircase. As I turned to climb the second flight, I caught sight of Peter watching me. I didn’t say anything. He probably still felt guilty about what happened. Hell, I felt guilty. That’s why I needed to talk to Regina.

“I can’t fucking believe you.” I froze at the top of the landing. The door to her suite was open slightly. I could hear Brianne and Regina talking angrily.

“She said she was in.”

“She could’ve been killed, Reggie. You shouldn’t have gotten her involved.” My stomach dropped. I was pretty sure they were talking about me.

“It was a mistake. Things go wrong. I can’t control that.”

“She shouldn’t have been there. Now you’ve put her in a world she wasn’t ready for.”

“Since when are you so fond of Jude anyway?” My heart caught in my throat.

“Oh fuck you.”

“If I remember correctly, you hated her. Why all of the sudden the change in-” There was a pause that felt like it lasted an eternity. “You’re in love with her too. Admit it! You’re like the rest of us. You’re just a smitten with her cutesy innocent act as the rest of us.”

“Shut up, Regina. We both know you don’t love her. She’s just another toy for you to play with.” I didn’t want to listen anymore. I turned heel and went back downstairs, trying to figure out what the hell I was feeling. Did they think I was acting? Was I? Did I really love any of them? Did any of them love me or was I just a toy, like Brianne said. I descended further into the house until I was in the familiar atmosphere of the basement. Daniel wasn’t there. Thank god. I needed to be alone for a few seconds, to try and figure out what was going on in my head. After a few minutes, when I had gotten control over my breathing, I only had one solution. I picked up the landline and called the only person I thought I could.

“Hey Miami...it’s Jude...I need to get out of this house. Can I stay at your place for a while?”

“Of course. Does Reggie know?”

“No...I don’t want to face them right now, Miami.”

“Leave it to me. My driver will be there in 10 minutes.”

Miami was more than gracious to me. I practically holed myself up in his guest room, barely eating, pacing until I got delirious. And still, he was the perfect host. I felt so terrible, but he insisted he was more than happy to help me. He said he understood that they could be too much sometimes. He also made sure I didn’t have to answer any questions from the Kings. I only talked to them on speaker with Miami, assured them I was safe and then let Beach do the rest. Eventually, I felt ready enough to return to the estate. Daniel was ecstatic to see me again. I realized I hadn’t spoken to him since the night of the incident. I instantly apologized and told him everything.

“It’s fine, Jude. Really it’s fine.” I brought him into a big hug, still muttering quiet sorry’s to him. He only smiled, patted my back, and led me inside. I immediately went with him downstairs to the basement. Despite getting a respite from the King Sisters, I still couldn’t find the courage to face them.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly saucy chapter.  
> Also feelings are complicated.  
> Also mention of anxiety/depression.  
> Also obligatory make-over scene.  
> Also Jamie/Melina

Mel found me later that day. I should’ve known they would’ve come after me eventually, but I still didn’t know how to respond. Her knock was so gentle I thought it was Jo for a second, and I was surprised to see her lovely dark eyes staring back at me.

“Hello, darling. Is it all right if I come in?”

“Oh uhm. Yeah no, come on in.” I stepped aside and slowly closed the door behind her. She spread herself on the bed, nervously picking at the duvet cover as I sat across from her.

“We did it...we got the jewels...if you were wondering.”

“Oh. That’s great...I’m glad it ended ok.” I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear and looked out the window, trying to figure out what to say. Melina stretched out her hand put it on my arm, making me turn back to her.

“I know everyone keeps saying they’re sorry. But...I really am, darling. You must have been terrified.” I nodded, shifting my body to face her. “You need to talk to us about it...really. If not us then someone, dearest. Holding it in makes the wounds worse.”

“I don’t know who I can talk to...really. You and the others are great, really, but I think my worries are either too personal or too...frivolous.” I took a deep breath. “I have severe anxiety and depression...I take medications but lately its been too much. That’s why I went to Miami’s. I had to get out of...this.” I motioned vaguely around my head. Melina propped herself up on her elbows, listening intently. “It’s too much...I got overstimulated and I needed to get out and just...calm down.” She nodded, biting her bottom lip slightly. “And...I don’t know what to do about you and Jo and Bri and Reggie.”

“What? You do know we think the world of you...whatever you need, honestly darling.”

“That’s just it!” I fell back and stared at the ceiling. “No you wouldn’t get it.”

“We all are madly in love with you and you’re madly in love with us.”

“Ok yeah it sounds better when you say it. When I say it I sound like a pretentious asshole.” She chuckled and I looked over at her. “What?”

“You won’t have to worry about me anymore, darling. I love you dearly, but my pursuits have been turned elsewhere.”

“Jamie? I’d love to meet her.” I sat up quickly, making Melina laugh.

“You’d probably fall in love with her too. Little skank. You got a thing for dangerous women.” I blushed and buried my face into the pillow I had pulled to my chest.

“Melina,” I groaned, my ears turning red. She laughed and patted my shoulder.

“I’m going to help you, though. I tried to convince them of an orgy, but one sweet little thing like you couldn’t be shared among that many.”

“Mel!”

“It’s true, darling.” She smirked and pulled out a cigarette and moved to the chair by the window. “So, we’re just gonna have to make them fight. Who says all the pressure has to be on you?” She lit it easily and opened the window a little to release the smoke. “Honestly, dear, you have them all tied around your little finger.”

“Oh no, no way. No ones tied around my anything.” I stood and walked over to where she was seated. “Listen, I can’t play the game. I’m not even in the same room.” She smiled coyly. She was planning something.

“They just need a little push, darling. They’ll fight each other so you won’t even have to choose. And tonight’s party is the perfect environment for it. Survival of the fittest.”

“That’s not how that works.” She stood and pushed me towards the bathroom.

“Hush, darling. Let me work some magic for you.”

What ever Melina did, it was incredible. My hair spilled like a cascade down my shoulder. My lips had been colored mauve, my cheeks given some color, my eyes become more pronounced with carefully penned eyeliner. When I looked at myself, finally fully dressed in burgundy velvet pants and a black button-up, I felt like I was an entirely different person. It wasn’t Jude, but some alternate dimension where I was evil and also hot? Melina looked like she was going to burst with pride.

People had already started gathering downstairs, so Melina led me by the hand. I felt my feet get frozen at the top of the stairs. What was I thinking? I couldn’t do this. I didn’t have a choice at that point, since Melina only pulled on me harder and forced me to enter the party. Daniel was the first to notice me. He looked like he also was seeing an alternate reality version of me. As he approached, I thought of what to say. I needed to be cool, relaxed.

“Wow. I love your makeup.”

“THANKS. MELINA DID IT.” I wanted to die in my shoes there and then. Thankfully, Regina’s parties were always loud and raucous, so it only caught the attention of a few people. Daniel laughed nervously.

“Yeah. It looks great.”

“Sorry, I’m really nervous.”

“Are you ever not nervous?”

“No. Never.” I grabbed a glass of champagne off the nearest waiter and downed it. Melina slid up beside me and took my arm in hers.

“Now, now, darling. There’s still a lot of night left for you to get absolutely wasted. Come on, let’s go see the other girls go wild.”

Indeed, it seemed that Jo, Bri, and Reggie were ready to tear me apart there and then. It made my knees shake a little. Especially Reggie. She was always the most expressive of her lust. Jo and Brianne were a little more reserved, but even they couldn’t hide how they felt at Melina’s magic. I was at the couches that were the epicenter of the party. The richest and most influential gathered around there, and I was in the middle of it all, flanked by the other King girls. I eventually saw a dark haired beauty in a finely tailored suit walk up to Mel and whisper something in her ear, making the woman laugh so much she almost spilled her drink. That must be Jamie.

“Darling, come with me a second?” Regina turned my head back to her, and I swallowed. She was so beautiful it was intoxicating. The way she was staring at me made me want to melt. I think she knew that too. She pulled me to a quiet part of the house, a little enclave off to the side of the hallway. “Oh god. Melina really did a number on you…”

“Regina…” I didn’t finish before she began to kiss me. It was hard and passionate, making my lips hurt after a while. I had to brace myself against the wall as she pushed me hungrily. Her hand moved down to my thigh, making me whimper. She smiled and broke our kiss.

“You sweet little girl...I’ve wanted you so bad. I’ve wanted you for so long.” Her hand pressed into my crotch and I groaned, biting my lip. God I wanted her too. Her lips brushed lightly against my ear, whispers sending shivers down my spine. “I’ve spent so many nights thinking about you...how easily I could make you mine. You’re so timid and shy, I could do whatever I wanted to you.” I squirmed slightly and she chuckled against my neck. “You’d be a good girl for me. I’d make you a good girl.” I moaned breathily as she began to kiss my neck, fingers rubbing me through my pants. Fire shot through my veins as she touched me. “Tell me you want me. Tell me.”

“I want you...Oh god I want you so badly please Regina.” She smiled and pulled away.

“Come on then, sweetheart.” My mind was a mix of hormones and sheer horniness as I followed her. I wasn’t thinking. If I was it was of Regina’s pink lips and her dominating hands. Her room was covered in pink and gold, and she pushed me down onto her king sized bed with it’s fluffy bed cover. I laid there quietly as she closed the door, my blood rushing through my body in anticipation. When she returned to me, she was wearing lacy white lingerie. I had to remind myself to breathe as she crawled on top of me. “You’re going to be a good girl for me, right?” I nodded fervently and she laughed. “Say you will.”

“I’ll be good.”

“Ma’am.”

“I’ll be good, ma’am.” Regina began undoing the buttons on my shirt pulling it away to reveal my black bra. Then the door opened, and I saw Brianne standing in the doorway. She looked so furious.

“What...the fuck...are you doing Regina.”

“Get out, Brianne,” Reggie hissed. She didn’t, though. I was blushing now, embarrassed, and I slipped off the bed and walked quickly to the door, trying to button my shirt with shaking hands. “Jude, wait. Please don’t go.”

“Regina. What the actual fuck.” Brianne was so angry her eyes could melt steel beams.

“We weren’t doing anything wrong, Brianne!”

“We talked about this, Regina. We directly said not to do this to her!” I pushed past Brianne, who blocked Regina from following. “Don’t you fucking understand?” I felt childish and stupid as I ran to my room. Why couldn’t I grow a spine? Why couldn’t I learn to say no? Reggie had molded me into putty so easily. I locked the door behind me as I poured myself a bath and tried to wash off this terrible feeling inside me.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Car accidents. Drama.   
> Im pretty sure the subtitle of this fic is Emotions are Complicated.

“I make everything worse, don’t I.” I was sitting in Melina’s room. She had a posh design with mustard yellow walls that were nice to stare at, and eggshell accents. Mel shook her head.

“Darling, just shut up. You aren’t to blame here.”

“Then why do I feel like I’m to blame? If I could just fucking man up and grow a backbone, this wouldn’t have happened.” 

“Ok, first off, fuck ‘manning up’. Secondly, we all agreed we wouldn’t fuck you. Ok not like that. More in the sense we’re crazy about you but this is the first time you’ve been in this kind of situation so we didn’t want to take advantage of you.” Melina put a supportive hand on my shoulder. It didn’t help. I still felt like crying about what happened between Reggie and I. A knock at her door made us both look up. It opened to reveal a flustered looking Peter.

“Mel...they need you downstairs.” Faint yelling was heard from downstairs. I had a bad feeling it was about me. Melina nodded and gave me one more pat before heading out. I followed her, intending on going to my room, but I hung around outside my door and watched her and Peter enter the sitting room. It had been several hours since the incident, but clearly, tensions were still high. I couldn’t kill my curiosity, so I tiptoed down the stairs and listened to what they were saying. 

“She’s absolutely torn up about it Reggie. What the hell were you thinking?” Melina’s voice sounded strained, not the usual soft and velvety pattern she seemed to always sport.

“We’re both adults. I wanted it, she wanted it.”

“There’s a clear imbalance of power, Reg.” Johanna was speaking now, sounding like she was about to burst from the sheer heat to her tone. “She’s never dealt with this before.”

“What are you saying,” Reggie hissed.

“You’re taking advantage of Jude. Of her insecurities, her feelings, her lack of experience in our world. Should I continue?” Jo raised her voice, something I had never witnessed.

“How, fucking, dare you. You know what, you don’t like how I run things, then get out.” My heart stopped. No, no I thought, this couldn’t be happening. There was complete silence before Reggie spoke again. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that.”

“You did though,” Brianne must have been closest to the stairs, because I heard her mutter ruefully to herself. I couldn’t take it anymore. I stood and ran back to my room.

A few minutes later, I heard Melina enter quietly.

“Darling?”

“I quit.”

“What?”

“I said,” I muttered sitting up from my slightly teary pillow, “I quit. I’m done. I can’t do this, Mel.” She sat on the edge of my bed and sighed.

“I can get you a job maybe...National Museum of Ireland sound good?” She was clearly trying to keep tears away as well. I sat up and hugged her tightly. 

“I’m sorry Mel.”

“Don’t be sorry, darling. This is a hard game to play...I don’t think you’re quite ready for it anyway.” Melina squeezed me lightly and kissed my forehead. God she was so sweet and soft. I never wanted to let go of her. I had my bags packed within the next day. Jo sat with me the last night before I was set to leave.

“I’ll come visit you...we can go on a real date if you want…” I smiled shyly, which made her glow.

“I’d really like that, Jo Deacon...I wish...I wish I was stronger.” She put her arms around me gently and I rested my head on her shoulder. “I wish...I wish I wasn’t an anxious mess. I wish I was able to handle everything.”

“Hush, dearest.” We sat together like that, my head resting on her perfect, beautiful, feathered hair. “You’ll always have me, dear.”

“Thank you, Jo.”

“Of course, Jude.”

“I don’t know what I can do for you…” She tipped my head to meet her eyes.

“Don’t let the world turn you hard. Don’t let pain take away the soft love you have in your eyes. Don’t let people steal your sweetness.” Jo whispered so quietly, it was as if her words would destroy everything if she wasn’t careful.

The next morning, I took my bags and left with Peter for the airport. I hadn’t even realized it, but it had been a couple months since I had arrived in Paris. It seemed like only a few days. 

“Daniel was devastated to hear you were leaving.”

“You talked to Daniel?” I couldn’t stop a smile from forming on my face. Peter blushed and turned away, feigning a cough.

“Yes we uhm...We’re friends...Just friends.” I chuckled quietly to myself. “But...I’m also sad to see you go, Jude. You were a good person to have with us.”

“Thank you Peter.”

And then shit hit the fan.

Our car had been t-boned by a similarly black tinted window vehicle, pushing us onto the sidewalk. My head was ringing as I tried to force myself to focus. Peter was unconscious, a trickle of blood running from his temple. The car had hit his side, but thankfully he wasn’t seriously injured…on the outside. Internal bleeding is a whole different story. I blinked slowly, still unable to form a rational thought. Was I dead?

Someone had sliced my seatbelt off and was pulling me from the car. Except it wasn’t paramedics. He was dressed like Peter, all black with a white dress shirt. My brain started to work again, but it was too late. He had basically thrown me into another car, where a black bag was put over my head.

Shit. This wasn’t good.

Luckily, my muscles reacted faster than my brain, because I’m pretty sure I started kicking like a motherfucker. A sharp pinch in my neck finally made my voice work, letting out an indignant yell before my entire body shut down.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: DEPICTIONS OF EXTREME VIOLENCE/TORTURE  
> PROCEED WITH CAUTION

I was still in the bag when I woke up. However, my wrists and ankles were tied together, keeping me from moving much. We were still in the car...or at least a car. I was seated between to large individuals, who appeared to be speaking French to someone across from me. I made out three, maybe four voices. A sharp bump in the road made my head knock backwards, forcing an exclamatory ‘ow’ from me. The voices stopped, and I held my breath, hoping they would just ignore me. A sharp voice from my right barked at me in French.

From my limited knowledge of the language, I could gather they wanted me to shut the fuck up. I was only happy to oblige.

Eventually, we stopped, the doors of the car were opened and I was dragged out by my arms. I felt the ground beneath my feet change from concrete to wood, and I was carried down a flight of stairs by the sounds of the footsteps my captor was taking. They dropped me into a chair, and the hood was finally taken off, revealing an unfinished basement with no windows and large black, metal supports jutting out of the ground every 10 feet or so. A group of men in suits turned to look at me. I could feel my body trembling as one older man (he must have been in his late forties or just aged very well into his fifties) approached me. He held out his phone, seemingly eyeing me and then something on it before nodding at the other men. They walked behind me and ascended the stairs I had just been brought down, leaving me face to face with this man.

“You are Jude Lawler then?”

“Where am I,” I said, trying my hardest to sound composed. By the smirking look on his face, I wasn’t succeeding. He smiled and snapped his fingers, and one of the men who took me from the car handed him my wallet. He flipped through it, nodding slowly to himself. He nodded at the men and the hood was put back over my head as I was dragged somewhere farther into the basement.

The first punch was what really got me. Right in the stomach. My head immediately went back to middle school. I was a pretty big kid, so older boys thought it was funny to jab me right in the stomach to tease me. This was like that except it was a grown man punching my stomach. The wind was knocked out of me quite violently, and I coughed in the interim to try and breathe again. Then they punched me again, and again, and again. When I couldn’t support my body anymore they kicked at me violently. One thing I did gather was they were going for my head a lot. I got that from the amount of blood that was turning the hood on my face moist and slick. I was crying. It had only taken about two hits for me to lose my composure. I didn’t beg, just coughed and groaned and sobbed. Finally, they put me back in the chair. I was barely conscious at that point. They took my hood off again, and I was blinded by light. I blinked blood and tears out of my eyes and tried to look. All I saw were some shadowy figures and a blinking red light...was I being recorded? I kind of heard someone speaking…I couldn’t really make it out. My head was too busy screaming at my body that it wanted to die, and my body replying it wanted to die too. A hand pulled my head back by my hair, forcing me to wince and make a whimpering noise that was the sound of a girl who really wasn’t used to being beat up like this.

“Call for help.” I didn’t respond. Then, they repeated it louder and it got through to my head they wanted me to beg for help. “Go on. Call your little girlfriends for help.” My head dropped back down as it was released, letting me take a few short, labored breaths before shooting pain ricocheted throughout my body. They had just tasered me. I screamed as the shock poured over my body, sticking into every muscle in me like pins. It stopped, and the man repeated, and waited for my answer.

Then I did something I didn’t think I could ever do. I spit at the voice. It was more blood than spit but it made my point clear. I wasn’t sure I had made contact, because I was racked with electricity once again. They stopped, the lights were shut down, and they were speaking to each other. I caught the general gist.

Leave her to sit in her blood. Send the video to the Kings. Wait for their response.

Then they left me to continue sobbing again.


	17. Chapter 17

Torture is one of those things you see all the time on TV and you’re like, haha glad that’s not going to happen to me! 

Well, here I was. Bloody, tied to a chair, not knowing where the fuck I was or who the fuck had decided to kidnap me. My basic idea of their plan was; kidnap girl, send ransom message to girl’s rich mafia lovers(?), profit.

That’s what made me giggle, which in retrospect must have been very off-putting for the man standing in front of me. A girl covered in her own blood and tears and in immense pain was giggling. Straight out of a horror movie.

“You’ve...made a bad choice…” He stooped down and grasped my chin in his hand, forcing my eyes from the floor to meet his. 

“And why is that?” I smiled and closed my eyes.

“You shouldn’t have hurt me...now you’re gonna die.” His hand hit me quicker than a blink, making me open and close my jaw to make sure it wasn’t broken. In reality, I wanted to say ‘Do you know how hard it is for lesbians to find girlfriends?’. I feel like the joke would be lost on him. If I managed to live I had to tell that to Daniel.

My thoughts were halted by the house shaking, sending dust fluttering down onto us. He barked at someone behind me and took out his own personal gun. My chair was spun around to face the stairs leading upstairs. Gunshots filled the air, as well as the sounds of yelling, men shouting orders at each other.

“Let’s go see our guests then.” He was very strong, because he managed to drag me from my seat and up the stairs, gun poised and cocked, ready for the intruders to show themselves.

God if I wasn’t so badly injured I would have been extremely turned on. Reggie had her hair tied up in a ponytail, and it fell beautifully down her shoulder and over her kevlar vest. Brianne was dressed in a navy blue suit, blazer also traded for a bullet-proof vest. Johanna was in jeans and a button-up, carrying an AK-47. Mel was carrying a bloody butterfly knife in one hand and a pistol in the other. It was like I had died and went to mafia-lesbian heaven.

The man holding me pressed the gun to my temple, but I was focusing on continuing my labored breathing. From what I saw, the four King sisters were angrier than mama bears at a hunter holding their little cub. 

“What, you thought you would waltz on in and rescue her?”

“I mean we could. Or we could also kill you.” Reggie’s eyes were ice cold, colder than Brianne’s. I had never seen her so laser-focused, so intent on getting her violent job done.   
“So, maybe let her go and we won’t kill you as disturbingly.” I smirked. Blood loss is one way to get rid of anxiety, that’s for sure. The man laughed.

“I think out of all of us, I’m the one with what you want.”

“Yeah, but you don’t have all the facts,” Melina growled.

“Oh? And what is that?”

“We have a crazy Irish assassin on our team now.” Johanna smiled as the shot blasted out, sending the man and his splatter of brain matter into the nearby wall. I fell forward, my   
already very broken face now smashing into the floor of the house. I muttered a guttural ow before being rolled over. My bindings were cut, sending a rush of what little blood I had into my hands and feet. Funny enough, being held in a mobster’s basement being tortured for what I learned was three days does a number on you. I slipped away, kind of ready to die then.

I woke up though, in the King’s house. Specifically in the tiny clinic they had. I was bandaged like a mummy, a bunch of tubes sticking out of me. My hair was also gone. Like, very gone. Like, I had gone from Killer Queen Freddie Mercury to Another One Bites the Dust Mercury in what felt like 0.2 seconds. 

Someone was playing a record of someone singing La Vie en Rose. It was beautiful. I shifted my gaze to my left. Johanna was asleep in her chair, grasping my hand.

“Is that Edith Piaf?” My voice was slightly inhibited by all the medical equipment, but I managed the hoarse sentence. Johanna’s head shot up, looking at me through teary eyes.

“You’re up.” I nodded and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. She shifted closer to me, her hand softly touching my bandaged face. I cut her off as she opened her mouth.

“And don’t say your sorry. If one more person says they’re sorry, I’m going to scream.” She laughed and nodded.

“Alright. No sorries.” I closed my eyes and gave a deep sigh. “You’re safe, now. I swear to you, I’ll do whatever I can to keep you safe.” My heart swelled suddenly for her, and I managed my sweetest smile before laying my head back down and falling asleep.


End file.
